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Tuesday

Let's get real. Sometimes you just don't want to spend too much time decorating a small box. That would be given away. I'm talking about me of course...you know the lazy crafter..always thinking of ways to significantlyshorten the labour process. *winks*

First, let's meet the box - a sturdy one I got from my recent stay at the ShangriLa Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. It's the Welcome box filled with dark chocolates that you get in your hotel room. (Well, you know my love for sturdy boxes...evidently it had to come back with me on the plane...*LOL*)

So I trimmed a piece of patterned paper from my stash and ran it through my Xyron Creative Station for an even layer of adhesive.

I used a Maya Road diecut as a base structure and covered it with Ranger Stickles in gold. It's a quick way to make a project look like you put in just that little bit of effort. Because glitter always makes everything look better. :)

Monday

I was inspired to attempt a ballpoint pen drawing after seeing some incredible artwork done with ballpoint pens. (Yep, I did my first drawing on a credit card bill envelope...you know me, I recycle everything...*winks*)

I picked up this pack of 10 colourful ballpoint pens from Staedtler (S$5 from Popular Bookstore).

So...my initial thoughts on ballpoint pen drawing?

It isn't that easy to layer on the inks...you would need a scrap piece of paper to clean the pen nibs as you can get a bit of buildup once you start drawing. You need to start with the light colours because once you go dark, there's no going back. Keep your pen strokes consistent to avoid the messy pen stroke disaster I created. If you want to give this a go, buy a larger variety pack....several tones of each shade can help create depth in your drawings. I think I might bring some colourful ballpoint pens on my next flight. :)

Thursday

These days when I get on the plane, the first thing I do (once I'm all settled and buckled up of course!) is to flip the airline magazine and find a muse to draw on my flight.

You know copying is not my forte (*winks*) so I just use the photo reference to guide the face shape, the placement of the eyes, the angle of the chin...etc.

Now if you have ever tried coloured pencil drawing, you would know that it takes a really really long time. The first picture in the collage shows the progress I made on a 4.5 hour flight...including a meal, a short nap and 4 episodes of Designated Survivor. *LOL* The next few pictures shows the progress over several days. :)

What about you? What's the first thing you do when you are all seated on the plane?

Monday

Now, all we had to do was use a StencilGirl stencil to decorate a plain kraft box...seems simple enough but to tell you the truth, I struggled with this project. And the amount of time we were given to complete this project made it worse. As in we were given months to do it....and my ideas would change from day-to-day and as people shared their awesome projects on a private FB group, the project got a little more daunting.

I did wait till two weeks before the project deadline to start work on my project because a looming deadline always gets my adrenaline pumping...*LOL*

In the end, I decided on "making" my box practical so that I could fill it with something and give it away. :)

The plain box was very lightweight so I went in with a layer of scrunched up wrapping tissue and gesso to add a little bit of texture as well as "strengthen" the box in preparation for the addition of mediums.

Let the surfaces dry naturally. (I know lots of artists use a heat gun to speed up the process but do it in small bursts if you need to and don't get the surface too heated up because you might inhale the chemical fumes.)

Once the gesso has dried, I went in with the StencilGirl Medallion Stencil and Golden Fiber Paste. The Golden Fiber Paste has the look of handmade paper and offers a rough, flexible surface that readily takes in wet media.

Then it's free play with the acrylic paints!

Once the acrylic paints were dry, I went in with some gesso to really bring out the raised textures on the box.

I finished with black ribbon border on each side of the box.

I love that it folds flat and I can store it in my gift box drawer, all ready for the next "I need a gift box" emergency. :)

Thursday

I love using mists on my projects. They are a great way to create interest without bulk and the metallic ones add a lovely finish to your completed work. Of course, getting overzealous with your mists creates muddy colours so use them sparingly. *winks*